Cercar en aquest blog

Compte enrere

16 de des. 2018

The Carrasco case: not terrorism, just public disorders!

Two Catalans were arrested as suspects of terrorism - Yes, terrorism! - months ago. One fled into exile and is in Belgium. The other is confined to her home town, Viladecans. The National Court, months later, says that they might, at most, be accused of public disorders, and dumps the case on an unspecified court in Catalonia (English translation by M.S.) ... without raising her confinement.

FIRST.- In this court, the following preliminary proceedings initiated for an alleged crime of public disorder against Tamara Carrasco García and Adría [sic] Carrasco Tarrés are being carried out.

SECOND.- That the State Legal Office, in view of the report delivered by the Civil Guards, requests the inhibition of the procedure in favour of the jurisdictionally competent Court.

LEGAL REASONS

SOLE.- The report of the Public Prosecutor's Office dated 30 October 2018 shows the absence of a legal reason to consider justified the competence of this Central Investigating Court, since what has been done has not proved in this procedure that, regardless of the qualification that the CDRs as an organization deserves, by the investigators, ultimately, may be attributed to any another action that is meely a criminal offence of public disorder, an offence that, in order to come under the jurisdiction of the National Court, in accordance with article 573 bis. 4 of the Criminal Code, can only be prosecuted when committed by a terrorist organization or covered by one, an element that has not been accredited thus far, and so this procedure cannot remain paralyzed until such a condition is detected for the CDRs, and for this procedure, in accordance with what is laid down in art. 14 and concordants of the Law of Criminal Procedure, its withdrawal in favour of the Courts of Barcelona, ​​LIeida, Tarragona and Girona.

In terms of article 759, in relation to article 25, both of the Criminal Procedure Law, it is appropriate to send the dossier to the aforementioned Head Judges, to decide if it is appropriate to accept this competence.

DECISION

* To withdaw from these pre-trial proceedings in favour of the Head Courts of Barcelona, ​​LIeida, Tarragona and Girona, for them to consider if they are competent to analyze the deeds being investigated.

* To send the dossier to the aforementioned Courts, in order to analyze the origin of accepting the jurisdiction.

Against this resolution, appeals can be made within three days, before this Central Investigating Court.

Persecuted as a terrorist

Tamara Carrasco campaigns for an independent Catalonia. She was arrested and has been in house arrest for months

By Krystyna Schreiber, Barcelona
9 JAN 2019

In the morning of April 10, 2018, the 35-year-old social worker Tamara
Carrasco García was woken by loud knocking on the front door. When she
opened, there were a dozen Spanish paramilitary Guardia Civil in
camouflage uniforms with machine guns. They had a search warrant against
her and a warrant as a suspect of rebellion, sedition and belonging to a
terrorist organization. Tamara was not aware of being guilty of
anything: “I never risked more than a speeding ticket or an accusation
for disobedience,” she says, sitting in a small library in the centre of
her home town of Viladecans, a city not far from the Catalan metropolis
of Barcelona.

The Guardia Civil searched the 70 square metre apartment for four hours.
The officers confiscated a yellow whistle, a poster labelled “Freedom
and Democracy,” a photo of the jailed president of the cultural
association Òmnium Cultural, Jordi Cuixart, a broken cell phone, and a
memory stick. Tamara stood by the window listening to the media in front
of her house reporting on her. “The journalists were there at the same
time as the police and knew more details than I did.” Like most
Spaniards of her age, Tamara grew up watching the arrests of suspected
ETA terrorists. When the Guardia Civil officers asked her if she wanted
to cover her face when leaving the house, she refused. She did not want
to supply that kind of picture. Even today, she still has the flashes of
the photo cameras in front of here inner eye as she was led across the
square in front of her house. She is convinced that her arrest had been
staged for the media.

Tamara was taken to Madrid and spent two days in a five-square-metre
cell. She was not allowed to speak with a lawyer. Tamara remained
silent. Nevertheless, she was forced to interrogation. The only phone
call she could make was to friends, not her family. Tamara defends an
independent Catalonia, her father is for the unity of Spain. That’s why
they often clash at family gatherings. Back in her cell, Tamara kept
saying to herself, “I did not do anything bad, I’m a strong woman.” She
was very scared right then. “Only someone trapped in a cell like that
can understand this.”

Fingered accusations

On the third day, she was taken in handcuffs before the judge of the Audiencia Nacional, a special court for particularly serious crimes. There she met her lawyer, whom her parents had hired. In court, she only answered his questions. When the prosecutor read the allegations, Tamara did not recognize herself. She had allegedly planned an attack on the barracks of the Guardia Civil in Barcelona! Later, it turned out that the allegation was based on a Google Maps picture that she had printed out to help her get to a demonstration. She was accused of being the coordinator of the "Committees for the Defence of the Republic" (CDR) and of being guilty of inciting to offences such as blockading highways over the Easter weekend. "If you know something about CDRs, you know their structure is horizontal. They have no coordinators", Tamara explains.

The accusation papers also mention Adrià Carrasco, who was to be arrested on the same day as Tamara, but was able to escape and seek refuge in Belgium. "The Guardia Civil thought we were related because of the same surname, but we don't know each other," Tamara says. The defence lawyer lost his temper at that juncture.

"He complained that was a political process without a legal basis", Tamara recalls. The public prosecutor then threatened the lawye with a lawsuit for partiality. The judge ended the hearing when the exchanges between the jursists began to get heated. A quarter of an hour later, Tamara was let free, with restrictions.

Only later did she realize what these restrictions mean for her. Tamara is only allowed to leave Viladecans to go to work in Barcelona, ​​and she has to report to the local court every week. The Guardia Civil stalks her. After a few weeks, Tamara stayed away from work and the psychological pressure became too high. Her family and many friends live in other places and come to visit her. When her mother broke her leg and could not drive to see her daughter, Tamara requested permission to visit her. The request was turned down.

At first, the repression against Tamara had an intimidating effect on the CDRs. There have been no more actions in the entire area of ​​the Baix Llobregat where Viladecans is located. The activists are afraid and do not want to give the prosecution any arguments against Tamara and Adrià. "It's like a wave that is not only aimed at you, but spreads to your entire environment. Until recently, I was watched very closely - as were all those who surround me", explains Tamara.

No court has jurisdiction

In early November, the judge decided that there was no evidence of rebellion, terrorism and sedition against Tamara. Nevertheless, the house arrest was not lifted. Defence lawyer Benet Salellas explains the absurd situation in a telephone conversation:

"There is a final legal decision. The Audiencia Nacional says it has no jurisdiction because it sees no evidence of the allegations. This means the case goes to the general courts. That is, the case is handed over to the court in whose jurisdiction the investigated incidents took place. But we do not know what actions my client is being accused of".

Since no specific action could be attributed to her, the Audiencia Nacional simultaneously sent the case to the courts in four districts: Lleida, Girona, Barcelona and Tarragona.

"Tamara does not live in any of the four, it's sheer nonsense," her lawyer spells out his lack of understanding.

It will probably take months for a court to declare its jurisdiction and then possibly suspend her eight-month-long house arrest.

Her lawyer believes there is a clear intention behind this situation.

"We know the CDR phenomenon, and we do not think that the concept of terrorism can be applied to them. They are an expression of non-violent resistance. But Spain wants to paint a picture that worked in the Basque Country in the 1990s and create parallels that do not correspond to reality. When politicians and lawyers compare the CDRs with Kale borroka (violent street actions of supporters of the Basque independence movement, jW), they deliberately mix concepts. I believe that this is an operation by the state to try to change the reality in Catalonia".

From Tamara's point of view, her situation has also had positive effects. Before then, daughter and father were ideologically far apart. Meanwhile her family doubts the system. "My dad still opts for Spain, but now he understands why I do what I do," Tamara says almost proudly.

Many residents of their town Viladecans are more inclined to leave things in Spain as they are. But she receives support from all sides. "Many pro-Spanish neighbours have shown their solidarity with me because they know that I would not harm a fly." Meanwhile, more and more people understand that this is not just about the independence of Catalonia, but about fundamental rights, Tamara thinks. "If you're a nuisance, they use the gag law," says Tamara. Staying at home out of fear is not an option for her. She now wants to take part even more: "It's a question of my dignity."

And she's angry.

"For three days I was the most hated person in Spain. I received more than 300 death threats on my phone. I was made a public person. Adrià had to go into exile. We have not had any legal process to defend ourselves".

And she believes that the repression could possibly bring Catalonia closer to independence. The first thing she would change in an independent Catalonia would be criminal law. "If we start a republic, we have to make sure that what has happened to me never happens to anyone at all."